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Fitbit IX – Week 8

After a nice week thanks to days worth of activity, things came crashing back down this week.  The week actually got off to a decent start on Sunday, thanks to a trip to the United Center to see Purdue win the Big Ten Tournament, which left me a mere 4 steps shy of 5500.  Monday fell off the cliff, as I returned to work after a week of jury duty and ended the day with just 2200 steps.  Tuesday was even worse, just barely managing to pass 2000 steps.  A bit of an improvement on Wednesday pushed me up to 2700 steps.  Thursday was even better, coming 13 steps away from 3700.  Another drop on Friday put me back down at 2800 steps.  A night out for dinner with the Purdue crew pushed Saturday back up over 4200.

Total steps: 23,192

Daily average: 3313.1

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Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 10

33 years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I put together the first of what would eventually become a nearly 20 volume collection of mix tapes, containing my favorite songs that I had gathered either from the radio, a cassette tape, or (eventually) CD.  Today, we revisit those mix tapes for the fourth time and see how, or if, the soundtrack of my youth still resonates in today’s digital world and how much has changed over the past four years.

It was one of, if not the most ubiquitous song of the summer of 1993.  You heard it blaring out of car windows.  Stacey King and Scott Williams chanted the chorus during the Bulls’ championship rally in Grant Park.  It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Whoomp! (There It Is) by Tag Team was everywhere.

While Tag Team never had another hit, this one has been a consistent money maker for the group over the past thirty years.  It has appeared in movies such as Elf, Addams Family Values, and D2: The Mighty Ducks.  It has been a constant at sporting events.  To this day, it plays at Wrigley Field when a Cub hits a home run.  Not that it needed it, but the song got a resurgence in December of 2020 when the members of Tag Team appeared in a Geico add spoofing their song, changing the lyrics to be about ice cream.

I’ve heard the song live twice.  In 2015, Tag Team showed up to 90s Night at the United Center and performed the song at halftime.  They made a similar performance in 2021 before a White Sox game at Guaranteed Rate Field, where they played not just the original, but also the ice cream themed spoof.  Thirty years in, the song shows no signs of slowing down.

Volume 10 covers the spring and summer of 1993, following my freshman year of college, and features the top rap and alternative hits of the summer, along with some pop and the last remnants of hair metal.

Side A

Pearl Jam – Black
iTunes stats: 14 plays, most recently on 11/23/2022

Hitting #3 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart despite the band’s refusal to release it as an official single, the song was only listened to three times in the past four years.

Def Leppard – Two Steps Behind
iTunes stats: 21 plays, most recently on 7/8/2021

The big hit from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bomb Last Action Hero, originally recorded from The Blaze during a nightly song battle, garnered just four additional listens over these last four years.

UB40 – Can’t Help Falling In Love
iTunes stats: 27 plays, most recently on 7/30/2022

After going unheard for three years, the track, featured on the Sliver soundtrack, picked up 19 plays since 2015.

Aerosmith – Cryin’
iTunes stats: 21 plays, most recently on 11/1/2022

The first installment of Alicia Silverstone’s video trilogy, which finished as the 60th biggest single of 1993, picked up five new plays over the past four years.

TLC – Get It Up
iTunes stats: 8 plays, most recently on 6/16/2021

This cover of a hit by The Time created for the Poetic Justice soundtrack doubled its listens over the past four years.

4 Non Blondes – What’s Up?
iTunes stats: 27 plays, most recently on 6/1/2022

The 50th biggest single of 1993 picked up eight listens for the ubiquitous debut from 4 Non Blondes.

whoompTag Team – Whoomp! (There It Is)
iTunes stats: 62 plays, most recently on 12/8/2022

The unofficial theme to the Bulls third straight NBA championship in 1993, Tag Team, who showed up for 90s night at the UC for a game I attended in February of 2015, added 19 new listens over the past four years, thanks to its use by the Cubs when someone hits a home run.

Side B

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Travelling The 50 States – Texas

Over my 48 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we continue today with the 28th state to be added to the Union: Texas.

State: Texas
Joined the Union: 1845
Visits: 4

After my dad moved there while I was in high school, I’ve made four trips to the Lone Star State, first in 1992 and most recently in 2005.

My first trip to the Dallas metroplex came in the summer of 1992.  My dad had moved there about two years earlier, and this was the first time my sister and I had been invited to visit.  I was there for a week, while my sister stayed for two, since I was getting ready to go away to college for the first time.  The activities I remember from that week include a trip to the rodeo, spending time in the swimming pool, and going to the former book depository to see the exhibit on the assassination of JFK.

I returned solo in 1998.  My only recollection from this trip was making my first visit to The Ballpark In Arlington, seeing the Rangers defeat the Royals in a high scoring affair.

My next visit came three years later, in early May of 2001.  Again, I don’t remember much about the trip, other than two additional visits to the Ballpark, first to see the Rangers lose to the Tigers and then, two nights later, to see them top the White Sox 2-0.

My latest trip to the Metroplex was in 2005.  The things I remember from this trip include trying to scam free WIFI from the house next doon, since my dad did not have a network set up, and a four game series between the Rangers and White Sox at the renamed Ameriquest Field, which the Rangers took three games to two.

Will I return?  Probably, some day.  The Rangers have built a new ballpark and I’ve never been to Houston, so I have to make those trips at some point.  Thanks to Purdue’s epic collapse in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, I don’t have to worry about traveling to Houston in April for the Final Four.

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2022-2023 Final Standings

Purdue’s season came to an unexpected early end last night, as they became just the second #1 seed in the history of the men’s NCAA Tournament to lose to a #16 seed.  Thanks to last week’s Big Ten Tournament, I made it to three men’s basketball games this season and one women’s game.

2022-2023 Team Records – Men

TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Indiana Hoosiers 1 0 1.000
Purdue Boilermakers 2 1 0.667
Penn State Nittany Lions 0 1 0.000
Ohio State Buckeyes 0 1 0.000

2022-2023 Team Records – Women

TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Indiana Hoosiers 1 0 1.000
Purdue Boilermakers 0 1 0.000
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Active Batting Leaders – Through 2022

Last month, we looked at the overall leaders on both sides of the ball from all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2022.  With the end of spring training in sight, Opening Day is right around the corner.  Let’s take another look at those numbers, limiting it to players that are still active heading in to the 2023 season.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 49
Tim Anderson 23
Avisail Garcia 15
Javier Baez 13
Miguel Cabrera 13
Yoan Moncada 13

Hits

Name Total
Jose Abreu 273
Tim Anderson 194
Yoan Moncada 113
Avisail Garcia 101
Yolmer Sanchez 93

Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 129
Tim Anderson 107
Avisail Garcia 58
Yoan Moncada 57
Yolmer Sanchez 46

RBI

Name Total
Jose Abreu 159
Tim Anderson 68
Yoan Moncada Continue reading →
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It’s Time To Go Dancing

The nation’s attention turns to the college hoops scene for the next few weeks as the NCAA tournament kicks off later today.  I’m not in any pools this year, so most of these selections have no ultimate bearing on my life, aside from personal pride.  I do happen to have a hotel room booked for Houston for Final Four weekend just in case, so fingers crossed.  So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s selections.

Alabama enters the tournament under a cloud of scandal, as their star player was recently involved in the murder of a young woman.  Because of that, I have second seed Arizona going to the Final Four.

Fun fact: the first college basketball game I ever attended was Purdue versus Houston at Market Square Arena back in 1993.  Both teams are top seeds in this tournament.  It pains me to have Indiana going as far as I do, but they were a formidable opponent this year, so I see them giving the field a run for their money.  In the end, though, I have Xavier going on to Houston.

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Book 11 (of 52) – Carrie Soto Is Back

Carrie Soto Is Back – Taylor Jenkins Reid

Six years after her retirement after a knee injury, Carrie Soto decides to return to tennis for one last go-around, planning to retain her record of twenty Grand Slam titles which is being threatened by a a younger player.  Reuniting with her former coach, her father, she sets out to regain her spot at the top of the tennis world but instead starts to figure out that there is more to life than rankings and being the best.  After suffering a personal loss, she comes to terms with where she is in life and, just maybe, finds a way to broaden her horizons.

Introduced in Malibu Rising, Carrie Soto is fleshed out into a full character here by Taylor Jenkins Reid.  I enjoyed this trek through the 90s, just as I have Jenkins Reid’s earlier works.  I’m looking forward to whatever comes next from her and the eventual adaptation of this book into a movie or series.

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Fitbit IX – Week 7

A week of activity led to my best total since my trip to Florida to start the year.  Things got off to a poor start on Sunday as I managed to record just 3400 steps despite heading out to dinner with Angelina.  Monday trended upwards thanks to my first day of jury duty, finishing with just 4700 steps.  Day two on Tuesday was even better, jumping up to 6000 steps, my highest total since early February’s trip to Bloomington.  Day three of jury duty on Wednesday pushed me to the week’s high point, ending the day over 6800 steps, my highest total since the Citrus Bowl on January 2.  A slight decline on Thursday, due to only one trip back and forth to the jury parking lot, put me back down to 4500 steps.  Wrapping up jury duty on Friday left me 6 steps shy of 4500.  A trip to the United Center on Saturday to see Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament left me just 6 steps away from 5000.

Total steps: 35,095

Daily average: 5013.6

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Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 9

33 years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I put together the first of what would eventually become a nearly 20 volume collection of mix tapes, containing my favorite songs that I had gathered either from the radio, a cassette tape, or (eventually) CD.  Today, we revisit those mix tapes for the fourth time and see how, or if, the soundtrack of my youth still resonates in today’s digital world and how much has changed over the past four years.

Once upon a time, people had to leave their homes to get music.  One of the stores you could go to get the latest music was Musicland, a mostly mall-based company that thrived in the 80s and early 90s.  One of the free-standing outposts of Musicland was located in West Lafayette, a mere stone’s throw away from the Purdue campus.

I found myself in that particular Musicland on the night of April 19, 1993.  Aerosmith’s eleventh studio album, Get A Grip, was going on sale the next day and they were going to start selling copies at midnight.  I remember things being kind of loose, with a lot of people browsing, but I managed to grab my copy and then head home for the night.  Did I listen to the album that night?  No, I don’t think so.  Did I need to go out in the middle of the night to buy a CD?  No.  But hey, it was better than sitting in my dorm room all night.

That was kind of the last hurrah for that Musicland location.  Within the year, it would be converted into a bar called Kazoo’s.

Volume 9 places us squarely in the early months of 1993, overlapping with the second semester of my freshman year of college.  The hip hop and pop are rounded out with some alternative and what passes for hair metal in the post-grunge era.

Side A

Dan Baird – I Love You Period
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 3/12/2022

Despite never having heard this song, which peaked at #26 on the Billboard charts, on the radio in the state of Illinois, I’ve somehow managed to add six new listens over the past four years.

Ugly Kid Joe – Cats In The Cradle
iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 11/30/2022

The cover of the Harry Chapin hit, which gave the band their highest charting hit of their career, picked up a mere six new plays since 2018.

Arrested Development – Mr. Wendal
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 3/3/2021

The story of a wise homeless man, which hit #6 on the Billboard charts, managed to pick up five plays over the past four years.

Naughty By Nature – Hip Hop Hooray
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 9/27/2022

Seven new plays over these past four years for the 45th biggest hit of 1993.

Positive K – I Got A Man
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 12/10/2021

The rappers only top 40 hit, peaking at #14, garnered a slight six play increase in the last four years.

R.E.M.def l – Man On The Moon
iTunes stats: 13 plays, most recently on 2/27/2022

The tribute to comedian Andy Kaufman, which peaked at #2 on the Alternative Songs chart, picked up a mere four new listens over the past four years.

Aerosmith – Livin’ On The Edge
iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 8/4/2022

Spending nine weeks atop the Album Rock Tracks chart, the first single from the band’s eleventh studio album more than doubled its previous play total over the past four years.

Side B

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Travelling The 50 States – Tennessee

Over my 48 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we continue today with the 16th state to be added to the Union: Tennessee.

State: Tennessee
Joined the Union: 1796
Visits: 3

I’ve made three visits to the Volunteer State, once for fun and twice to charge while heading somewhere else.

My first visit to Tennessee came in June of 2015 as part of a Mother’s Day gift of an Elvis-themed trip.  Things got off to an early start on Saturday morning as we left home around 5 AM and headed south, rolling into Memphis around 2:00.  Our first stop was the Memphis Zoo, where we ran into some pandas and other animals.  After the zoo, we headed to our hotel for some relaxing in the pool, followed by dinner at a charming BBQ joint known as Corky’s, winners of multiple best BBQ awards.  After a long day, it was time to call it a night.

Sunday morning got off to an early, if wet, start at Graceland, home, and eternal resting place, of Elvis Presley.  Aside from the mansion, which is strangely small for what would be considered a mansion, there were a few other attractions to see, including a car museum and his 2 planes.

After lunch at Graceland (a fried peanut butter/banana sandwich, natch), it was time to visit Sun Studios, where Elvis made his first recordings.  While waiting for our tour, we made a quick trip over to the Peabody Hotel, where they have trained ducks hanging out in the lobby, which is supposedly a thing.  Back to Sun for the tour, which included the actual recording studio space, which is still in use at night.  Following the tour, we headed across the border to Arkansas for dinner and the rest of the trip.

My next two stops in Tennessee came in 2021, when I needed to charge my car on the way to and back from Florida.  Both times I was directed to the Dunkin’ Donuts in Manchester, Tennessee, where I was able to make use of the Superchargers while enjoying a nice treat.

Will I return?  I would think so.  At some point, I’d like to make it to Nashville and see what the vibe there is like.